The Reading Bug Podcast - Original Adventures, Bedtime Stories and Music for Kids

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Trick or treat, Reader — it’s time to do the Mummy Wrap! Hop into the Reading Bug’s magic book bag for a spooky trip back 3,000 years to ancient Egypt — land of pharaohs, pyramids, and a very chatty Scarab beetle with a bone to pick.

But before we can explore the wonders of the Nile or King Tut’s legendary tomb, we’ll have to solve the Sphinx’s riddle — or face the Pharaoh’s curse and be trapped in ancient Egypt forever! And with tomb raiders closing in on King Tut’s t...

Meet our friends from Dorktales!

Dorktales Storytime EP98: That’s A Wrap! | Spooky Halloween Stories for Kids

Jonathan and Redge adventure into The Tomes, the vast desert of Once Upon a Time, when they stumble into a mysterious tomb, and find themselves on a ghoulish (and very goofy) game show. The two must solve haunting riddles, guess what’s missing in an ancient witch’s potion, and test their courage in the chilling, thrilling Malevolent Maze of the Mummy! Can they work together to tackle all the terrifying twists and turns or will they be lost i...

Why do leaves turn red and orange and gold every fall — and where do those colors actually come from? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly (frozen in front of a glowing maple tree, convinced everything he learned about plants needs rearranging) as they investigate the hidden science of autumn color. It turns out the yellows and oranges were there all summer long, hiding behind the green — and fall doesn’t add color to a leaf. It reveals the colors that were already there.

Perfect for nature lovers, fall enthusiasts, anyone who has ever wondered why some years are mo...

Lauren’s Little Bedtime Stories

On a warm Tuesday morning, a tortoise named Humphrey decides to cross the road. That’s the whole plan. He sets off at nine o’clock with the calm certainty of someone who has been taking his time for a very long time and finds it suits him perfectly. Along the way, a rabbit tells him he’s slow, two squirrels debate whether to help, a crow offers directions that don’t apply, a horse leans over a fence and says absolutely nothing — which turns out to be the most useful thing anyone does...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Full Story. Hark, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag for a legendary trip back in time to the magical kingdom of Camelot — home of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table!

But the road to Camelot is no easy quest. Dangerous trolls and serpents lurk around every corner — and once we arrive, something feels strange. Could the kingdom be... cursed?

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere need help, and they're looking to us. Freshly knighted and ready for adventure, we must...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Clementine and Blythe are mouse cousins who could not live more differently. Blythe has a cozy home in the roots of an old oak tree, a well-stocked pantry, and a meadow she considers the finest view available to any mouse anywhere. Clementine has a fashionable city apartment, access to extraordinary crumbs, and strong opinions about both. When the cousins visit each other's worlds, the results are educational: Clementine tries gamely to appreciate the quiet of the meadow and nearly jumps out of her scarf every time an owl calls. Blythe makes it to...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 3 of 3. Hark, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag for a legendary trip back in time to the magical kingdom of Camelot — home of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table!

But the road to Camelot is no easy quest. Dangerous trolls and serpents lurk around every corner — and once we arrive, something feels strange. Could the kingdom be... cursed?

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere need help, and they're looking to us. Freshly knighted and ready for adventure, we must...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Gerald the frog has formed a committee. Someone, he feels, should really be in charge of when it rains — and that someone is going to be him. The Official Rainstorm Committee convenes on a flat rock beside the pond with five members: Gerald, who has a gavel and an agenda; Dorothy the duck, who votes in favor of rain on every single item regardless of what the item is; Winston the cat, who votes against rain on every single item regardless of what the item is; Edgar the worm, who brought a crumb to...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 2 of 3. Hark, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag for a legendary trip back in time to the magical kingdom of Camelot — home of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table!

But the road to Camelot is no easy quest. Dangerous trolls and serpents lurk around every corner — and once we arrive, something feels strange. Could the kingdom be... cursed?

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere need help, and they're looking to us. Freshly knighted and ready for adventure, we must...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 1 of 3. Hark, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag for a legendary trip back in time to the magical kingdom of Camelot — home of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table!

But the road to Camelot is no easy quest. Dangerous trolls and serpents lurk around every corner — and once we arrive, something feels strange. Could the kingdom be... cursed?

King Arthur and Queen Guinevere need help, and they're looking to us. Freshly knighted and ready for adventure, we must...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Ahoy, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag and set sail with Lauren and the Reading Bug to meet some of the nastiest, rowdiest, smelliest, song-and-dance-iest pirates to ever sail the seven seas!

But there's trouble on the high seas — a young girl has been captured by the fearsome Captain Blackbeard and his motley crew, and she needs our help.

To get everyone to safety, we'll need to be brave, cunning, and ready for action. Can we outsmart Blackbeard before it's too late?

...

The Fact Fly's One Big Question

Why does your brain run its most powerful, most emotional, most gloriously illogical show every single night — while your body lies completely still? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly (the proud keeper of forty-seven dream field reports, convinced he's been visiting an alternate dimension) as they investigate the mysterious science of dreams. From a real university sleep lab where scientists watch brainwaves spike the moment a dream begins, to a microscopic zoom inside the sleeping brain, this episode reveals why dreams feel so real, why their logic makes perfect sense until yo...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 2 of 2. Ahoy, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag and set sail with Lauren and the Reading Bug to meet some of the nastiest, rowdiest, smelliest, song-and-dance-iest pirates to ever sail the seven seas!

But there's trouble on the high seas — a young girl has been captured by the fearsome Captain Blackbeard and his motley crew, and she needs our help.

To get everyone to safety, we'll need to be brave, cunning, and ready for action. Can we outsmart Blackbeard before it's too la...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Remi runs the finest — and only — delivery service in the village of Bramblewood. She has a leather satchel, a very organized notebook, and a perfect record. By late afternoon on a Thursday in October, she has one package left: a small brown parcel addressed to old Mrs. Thistle-Finch at the top of Wren Hill. The only problem is that somewhere between the post office and the bottom of the hill, the package has started making a sound. A faint, steady, impossible-to-explain ticking. A beaver named Mr. Holt has a theory. A crow named Vex...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 1 of 2. Ahoy, Reader! Hop into the Reading Bug's magic book bag and set sail with Lauren and the Reading Bug to meet some of the nastiest, rowdiest, smelliest, song-and-dance-iest pirates to ever sail the seven seas!

But there's trouble on the high seas — a young girl has been captured by the fearsome Captain Blackbeard and his motley crew, and she needs our help.

To get everyone to safety, we'll need to be brave, cunning, and ready for action. Can we outsmart Blackbeard before it's too la...

Book Worm's Story Snacks | One Small Worm, One Giant Universe
What's it really like to float two hundred and fifty miles above the Earth?

Join Book Worm on this out-of-this-world Story Snack and step aboard the International Space Station — the most extraordinary thing human beings have ever built — where everything floats, sixteen sunrises happen every single day, and six astronauts are living and working right now, as you listen, above your head.

Meet Vera, an astronomer who has spent fifty years looking up at the ISS through her telescope — and has never once been inside...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Savannah Sprinkles is a light brown puppy with four white paws and a very important list of things to do tonight — and going to sleep is not on it. There's a suspicious smell in the backyard that needs investigating, a food bowl whose status cannot be assumed, a three-week-old mystery behind the couch, and a refrigerator making a sound that frankly nobody has explained yet. The old golden dog Rosie is already asleep in her armchair on Chestnut Street and is of almost no help whatsoever. Savannah works her way through the list wi...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

When the other garden bugs tease the Reading Bug for being different, she does what she always does — reads more books! And this time, they inspire the most fantastical adventure yet. Join Lauren, the Reading Bug and the Spelling Bee on a journey over the rainbow to the Land of the Unicorns!

Only, things may not be all rainbows and unicorns. On the other side of the rainbow is a grey kingdom ruled by a cold and powerful queen who hates everything unique.

With the help of...

The Fact Fly’s One Big Question

How do we make sound when we talk — and why does your voice sound so different when you hear it on a recording? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly as they investigate the surprisingly amazing science behind the most incredible instrument ever made: you. From the tiny vibrating vocal folds inside your larynx to the air from your lungs that turns those “little strings” into sound, this episode reveals how your body transforms a simple buzz into words, songs, whispers, shouts, and your one-of-a-kind voice.

You’ll discover why high n...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories | Original Music

Deep in the forest, a tiny seed named Rue falls from her mother's branch and lands in the dark earth below — and immediately runs into a problem: she has no idea how to grow. She knows she's supposed to. She's watched her mother do it her whole life. But what if she grows the wrong direction? What if she gets it wrong? A well-meaning worm stops by, offers what limited advice a worm can reasonably offer, and suggests she talk to her mother. Then, traveling through the roots of the forest th...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 2 of 2. When the other garden bugs tease the Reading Bug for being different, she does what she always does — reads more books! And this time, they inspire the most fantastical adventure yet. Join Lauren, the Reading Bug and the Spelling Bee on a journey over the rainbow to the Land of the Unicorns!

Only, things may not be all rainbows and unicorns. On the other side of the rainbow is a grey kingdom ruled by a cold and powerful queen who hates everything unique.

With th...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Every autumn, Hazel the bear goes back to her perfect winter sleeping spot — except this year, a very polite family of hedgehogs has moved in and is absolutely not leaving. What follows is a tour of the wrong places: a cave that echoes her own yawns back at her, a hollow log she keeps rolling out of, and a fox named Rupert who answers the door with the energy of someone not expecting company. With a skeptical squirrel named Dot keeping up a running commentary, Hazel searches the autumn woods for the one sp...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 1 of 2. When the other garden bugs tease the Reading Bug for being different, she does what she always does — reads more books! And this time, they inspire the most fantastical adventure yet. Join Lauren, the Reading Bug and the Spelling Bee on a journey over the rainbow to the Land of the Unicorns!

Only, things may not be all rainbows and unicorns. On the other side of the rainbow is a grey kingdom ruled by a cold and powerful queen who hates everything unique.

With th...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Grab your helmet and knee pads—it's time to shred! Lauren, the Reading Bug, and the Fact Fly are heading to the most famous skatepark in the world: Venice Beach! But before they can drop in, they meet Livvy on the sand—a girl who has been bravely learning to skate with her older brother's help, only to have her confidence knocked right out from under her by a lost lucky necklace and a bully named Aden.

From the history of "sidewalk surfing" in 1950s California to the diff...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories | Original Music

In this laugh-filled prehistoric bedtime adventure, meet Tiko, a brave, dog-sized Psittacosaurus who finds himself face-to-face with Thunderfeet, the grumpiest (and biggest!) T-Rex in the valley. Everyone believes Thunderfeet is a terrifying menace… until Tiko discovers the truth: the giant dinosaur isn’t mean — he’s just exhausted.

To save himself (and maybe the whole herd!), Tiko must use his quick thinking — and a very special dinosaur lullaby — to calm the sleepy giant before he becomes a midnight snack. Full of gentle suspense, silly surprises, and dino-sized heart, this bedtime stor...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 2 of 2. Grab your helmet and knee pads—it's time to shred! Lauren, the Reading Bug, and the Fact Fly are heading to the most famous skatepark in the world: Venice Beach! But before they can drop in, they meet Livvy on the sand—a girl who has been bravely learning to skate with her older brother's help, only to have her confidence knocked right out from under her by a lost lucky necklace and a bully named Aden.

From the history of "sidewalk surfing" in 1950s California to t...

The Fact Fly's One Big Question

Why does spicy food actually burn — and why does black pepper make you sneeze when you haven't even touched it? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly as they investigate the fiery science behind everyone's favorite fake emergency! From the TRPV1 receptor — your mouth's built-in biological fire alarm — to the committed molecular prank that capsaicin has been pulling on mammals for millions of years, this episode reveals that spicy food isn't burning you at all. It's just very convincingly lying to your brain.

You'll climb the Scoville Scale from diplomatic bell p...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

In the Meadow of Starfall, every unicorn's horn does something magical — sparks, light, warmth, blooming flowers. Every unicorn's except Opal's, whose horn plays music when she touches things. Just a few soft notes. Just a song. When the whole herd gathers for the Grand Gleaming, the annual celebration of horn magic, Opal's melody gets polite smiles and moves on. Her enthusiastic hedgehog friend Thorn keeps rolling into things and insisting she's wrong about herself. Then a baby bird falls from its nest and every dazzling horn in the meadow only frightens it further — and...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 1 of 2. Grab your helmet and knee pads—it's time to shred! Lauren, the Reading Bug, and the Fact Fly are heading to the most famous skatepark in the world: Venice Beach! But before they can drop in, they meet Livvy on the sand—a girl who has been bravely learning to skate with her older brother's help, only to have her confidence knocked right out from under her by a lost lucky necklace and a bully named Aden.

From the history of "sidewalk surfing" in 1950s California to t...

Book Worm's Story Snacks | The Bear Who Learned the Ice

Can a Book Worm who's never left the warmth of a bookstore survive at the very top of the world?

Join the Book Worm on this Arctic Story Snack and step onto the frozen ocean at the top of our planet — where the sun never sets in summer, the ice groans beneath your feet, and the most extraordinary animals alive have decided that brutal cold is, actually, completely fine.

Meet Nanuk, a two-year-old polar bear who left his mother four months ago and is...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Mabel is a duck on Puddle Pond with one small problem: she cannot quack. No matter how hard she tries, what comes out is a tremendous, fully committed HONK — the kind that sends the lily pads wobbling and makes the frogs blink very slowly. Her patient frog friend Gerald thinks it's perfectly fine. The opinionated goose Constance has notes. When an autumn fog rolls across the pond and six ducklings go missing, every duck quacks as loud as they can — but quacking is everywhere, and the ducklings don't know which way to go. It t...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Step right up! The Reading Bug has run off and joined PT Barnum's circus - and she's got a terrible case of stage fright. Join Lauren to follow her under the Big Top, and discover that the Reading Bug isn't the only ones with butterflies: Jumbo, the most magnificent elephant in the show, is refusing to budge from his crate, and without him, the whole parade comes to a halt.

With a cast of rhyming, Dr. Seuss-inspired performers - a fire horse rider, a human cannonball, and a...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

Deep in Fernhollow forest, a tiny shy dragon named Pip has always believed her fire isn't real fire at all — just small, soft sparks that float gently on the air and quietly go out. When the big dragons all fly off to their annual Night Gathering and a lost fox kit is left crying alone in the fog, Pip and her fearless salamander companion Nessa venture out into the dark to help. What follows is a gentle, funny journey across slippery stones and past a family of very opinionated glow-beetles — and a quiet disc...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 2 of 2. Step right up! The Reading Bug has run off and joined PT Barnum's circus - and she's got a terrible case of stage fright. Join Lauren to follow her under the Big Top, and discover that the Reading Bug isn't the only ones with butterflies: Jumbo, the most magnificent elephant in the show, is refusing to budge from his crate, and without him, the whole parade comes to a halt.

With a cast of rhyming, Dr. Seuss-inspired performers - a fire horse rider, a human cannonball...

The Fact Fly's One Big Question

Why does your body force you to shut down for eight hours every single night — and what happens inside your brain while you do? Join Lauren and the Fact Fly (fresh off an accidental cold brew catastrophe) as they investigate the surprising science of sleep! From the "Reading Bug Bookstore" analogy that explains memory consolidation, to the brain's nighttime power-wash system called the Glymphatic System, this episode reveals that sleep is far more than just rest. You'll discover exactly how caffeine tricks your brain with a chemical con, why your brain ce...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

On a warm summer evening at a little league field, a nine-year-old girl named Rosie steps up to bat in the bottom of the last inning — down by one, two outs, championship on the line — and everything she's worked for comes down to a single pitch. She loves baseball with her whole heart, but she hasn't gotten a hit all season. Her grandfather Granpa Lou, a former minor leaguer, gives her the one piece of advice she's been missing: the best pitch you ever see is the one you wait for. With her sunf...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Part 1 of 2. Step right up! The Reading Bug has run off and joined PT Barnum's circus - and she's got a terrible case of stage fright. Join Lauren to follow her under the Big Top, and discover that the Reading Bug isn't the only ones with butterflies: Jumbo, the most magnificent elephant in the show, is refusing to budge from his crate, and without him, the whole parade comes to a halt.

With a cast of rhyming, Dr. Seuss-inspired performers - a fire horse rider, a human cannonball...

Lauren's Little Bedtime Stories

In the sun-warmed corner of a weathered garden shed, an elder Thistle-Mouse named Silas tends to a very special collection — not seeds or treasures, but lost buttons, rusted keys, faded ribbons, and forgotten things the world left behind. When a curious young mouse named Toby wanders in and wonders why anyone would bother keeping a pile of old junk, Silas places a small sky-blue button in his paw and asks him to look with his heart instead of his eyes. What follows is a quiet afternoon of stories, including a tiny silver bell th...

A Reading Bug Adventure with Original Songs

Full Story. Follow the White Rabbit down the hole as Lauren and the Reading Bug tumble into the magic book bag for a journey to the curious, nonsensical world of Wonderland! In this tea-riffic adventure, you'll discover what happens when a grinning Cheshire Cat points the way down two mysterious paths - and a Mad Hatter's tea party turns into a quest to help a new friend in need.

From pocket-watch-carrying rabbits to hedgehog croquet balls and flamingo mallets, Wonderland is every bit as wacky as you'd imagine...

Book Worm's Story Snacks | Into the Midnight Zone

Can a bookworm who's afraid of the dark explore the deepest, darkest place on Earth?

Join the Book Worm on this deep-sea Story Snack and dive three thousand feet below the ocean's surface — where the sun has never reached, the water pressure would squish a submarine flat, and the darkness is full of things that glow.

Meet Augusta, a four-hundred-and-twelve-year-old anglerfish who knows everything about the deep ocean and almost nothing about the world above it. Discover lanternfish who wear their names in blinking lights, ri...